Some ceiling systems include a grid support system hung from an overhead structure which includes an array of orthogonally intersecting longitudinal grid support members and lateral grid support members arranged in fairly uniform pattern and intervals. The longitudinal grid support members and the lateral grid support members define a plurality of grid openings configured to support individual ceiling panels. Mechanical and electrical utilities (such as wiring, plumbing, etc.) may be conveniently routed in a hidden manner in the cavity or plenum formed above the longitudinal grid support members and the lateral grid support members and ceiling panels, making suspended ceilings a practical and popular ceiling option for residential, commercial, and industrial building spaces.
It is desirable to support various types of lighting fixtures from such suspended ceilings. One type of lighting fixture, sometimes referred to as linear lighting, includes a longitudinally extending frame containing a plurality of lighting elements or bulbs positioned along the length of the frame (e.g. LED, fluorescent, incandescent, halogen, etc.). Because such linear lighting fixtures have elongated lengths larger than the normal size of a single grid opening, supporting these type lighting fixtures without interrupting and adversely affecting the structural integrity of the grid support system is challenging without requiring cumbersome customization of the grid support members in the field, which is time consuming and expensive. Accordingly, an improved support system and installation method which permits mounting linear lighting in a suspended ceiling grid support system in a standardized, uniform manner is desirable.